John ‘Ed’ Martin Jr. – Belle Vernon

John “Ed” Martin Jr., 70, of Belle Vernon, went to be with the Lord on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. A son of the late John “Ed” Martin Sr., and Freeda Casteele Martin, he was born in Washington Township, Naomi, on Aug. 2, 1949. A lifelong resident of Belle Vernon, Ed was a 1967 graduate of Belle Vernon High School, a member of First Christian Church of Belle Vernon, where he served as a trustee, financial secretary and deacon, served on the Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority for 20 years, and was a Belle Vernon fireman in the mid-1970s. Ed coached Bronco baseball for several years, and in 1967, he took the Belle Vernon Bronco team to the national championship in Massachusetts. A former Belle Vernon councilman, Ed served 16 years on the Belle Vernon recreation board, served on the Belle Vernon planning commission for 20 years, and was acting chairman for the last 11 years. Ed was a U.S. Navy veteran, serving during Vietnam as a storekeeper aboard the USS Mattaponi and the USS Ponchatoula. He had been employed at Mitchell Power Plant in Monongahela as a security guard. He enjoyed reading, watching sports and crossword puzzles. He is survived by numerous cousins and an aunt, Grace Trembach of Lynnwood.  Friends will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at FERGUSON FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY INC., 700 Broad Ave., Belle Vernon. 724-929-5300, www.FergusonFuneralHomeandCrematory.com. Funeral services will be in the funeral home at 11 a.m. Thursday with Pastor Sam Batton officiating.